Articulating cane

ABSTRACT

A cane includes a shaft portion having a first end and a second end. A handle is pivotably coupled proximate to the first end of the shaft portion. An elongate member is pivotably attached to the handle and extends generally parallel to the shaft portion. A spring biases the elongate member toward the handle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and derives the benefit of the filing of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/840,363 filed Jun. 27, 2013, the contents of the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view according to one embodiment of a cane.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view according to the embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the A-A line of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view according to the embodiment of the cane with the handle portion separated from the shaft portion according to the embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the handle portion with the spring chamber removed according to the embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the handle portion with the spring chamber removed according to the embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the B-B line of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view according to the embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view according to the embodiment of the cane with the handle in a pivoted state.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a handle portion according to the embodiment of the cane with the handle in a pivoted state.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the C-C line of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 provides a perspective view, top plan view, side elevational view and rear elevational view of a handle according to one embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 13 provides a perspective view, a top plan view, a side elevational view and a rear view according to one embodiment of the cane.

FIG. 14 provides a perspective view, a top plan view, a side elevational view and a rear elevational view of the handle according to one embodiment of the cane.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, cane 100 includes shaft portion 104 and handle portion 102. Shaft portion 104 may include lower tube adapter 106, tube 108 and height adjustment assembly 110. Lower tube adapter 106 may be a hollow tube made of aluminum. Alternatively, lower tube adapter 106 may be made of plastic, titanium, steel or any other material of sufficient strength to withstand the weight placed upon cane 100. Tube 108 may be hollow and may be made of carbon fiber, aluminum, plastic, titanium, steel or any other material sufficiently strong to withstand the weight placed upon cane 100. Lower tube adapter 106 may be glued onto tube 108. Alternatively, lower tube adapter 106 may be press fit, welded or screwed onto tube 108. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that lower tube adapter 106 may be attached to tube 108 in any suitable manner.

Height adjustment assembly 110 includes lower height adjusting nut housing 112, lower height adjusting nut 114, adjustment screw cover 116, height adjustment screw 118 and cane bottom 122. Lower height adjusting nut housing 112 may be made of aluminum and may be pressed and glued onto tube 108. Alternatively, lower height adjusting nut housing 112 may be made of titanium, steel, plastic or any other suitable material well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Also, lower height adjusting nut housing 112 may be welded, screwed or otherwise attached to tube 108 in any suitable manner. Nut housing 112 may include a hole in its upper surface to allow height adjustment screw 118 to protrude therethrough. Lower height adjusting nut 114 may be press fit into housing 112. Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that nut 114 may be held within housing 112 by gluing, welding or any other suitable technique. Nut 114 may be made of nylon, aluminum, titanium, steel or plastic or any other suitable material. Nut 114 may include internal threads. Height adjustment screw 118 may include threads to engage with nut 114. Screw 118 also includes cylindrical protrusion 120 which is press fit to adjustment spring cover 116. Height adjustment screw 118 may be made of aluminum, titanium, steel or plastic or any suitable material. Adjustment screw cover 116 may be made of aluminum, titanium, steel or plastic or any suitable material. Cane bottom 122 may be made of polyethylene, and may be a conventional cane bottom. Cane bottom 122 is press fit onto the lower end of screw 118.

Handle portion 102 may include threaded coupler and spring adjuster 124. The lower portion of threaded coupler 124 may include external threads that screw onto internal threads at the upper portion of lower tube adapter 106. Spring chamber 126 may press fit onto an upper portion of threaded coupler 124. An upper end of spring chamber 126 may include internal threads. A lower portion of top nut 128 may include external threads which screw onto the threads of spring chamber 126. Threaded coupler 124 may be made of aluminum. Alternatively, threaded coupler 124 may be made of titanium, steel or plastic or any other suitable material. Spring chamber 126 may be made of aluminum. Alternatively, it may be made of titanium, steel, plastic or any suitable material. Instead of spring chamber 126 being press fit onto threaded coupler 124, spring chamber 126 may be glued to, screwed onto or welded to threaded coupler 124. Of course those skilled in the art will appreciate that spring chamber 126 may be coupled to threaded coupler 124 in any suitable manner. Top nut 128 may be made of aluminum, steel, titanium, plastic or any other suitable material. Instead of being screwed onto spring chamber 126, top nut 128 may be attached to spring chamber 126 by press fitting, gluing, welding or any other suitable technique.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, top nut 128 includes a pair of slots 130. Handle links 132 are pivotably attached to top nut 128 by means of pins 134 that pass through holes in top nut 128 and handle links 132 to hold the handle links 132 in slots 130. Handle links 132 are pivotably connected to handle 136 by means of screw 138. Handle links 132 may be made of aluminum, steel, titanium, plastic or any other suitable material. Handle links 132 may be pivotably connected to top nut 128 and handle assembly 136 through any other suitable means such as one or more screws, pins or rivets.

A spring adjustment mechanism may include spring adjustment screw 140 having external threads that are screwed onto internal threads of threaded coupler and spring adjuster 124. Spring adjustment screw 140 may be made of aluminum, steel, titanium, plastic or any other suitable material. Spring rod bushing 142 is threaded onto the end of spring adjustment screw 140 as spring adjustment screw 140 protrudes beyond the end of threaded coupler and spring adjuster 124. A similar spring rod bushing 144 is press fit into top nut 128. Bushings 142 and 144 may be made of nylon, plastic or any other suitable material. An elongate member such as rod and washer assembly 146 may be slidably disposed within holes in bushings 142 and 144. Rod and washer assembly 146 may include a spring stop such as washer 148 which is welded to rod 146. Rod and washer assembly 146 may be made of steel, aluminum, titanium, plastic or any other suitable material. Instead of being welded onto rod 146, washer 148 may be glued onto rod 146 or formed integrally with rod 146. Spring 150 is disposed on rod 146 and captured between spring bushing 142 and washer 148.

Rod 146 includes a rounded end 152 which is connected to handle 136 by means of handle bushing 154 (see FIG. 3). Handle bushing 154 may be made of nylon, plastic or any other suitable material. Handle 136 includes handle core 158 sandwiched between grips 156. Handle core 158 may be made of aluminum, steel, titanium, plastic or any other suitable material. Grips 156 may be made of wood, such as cherry, plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. Grips 156 are attached to handle core 158 through screws that pass through holes 160. Alternatively, rivets, glue or any other suitable method may be employed to attach handle grips 156 to handle core 158.

An attachment member such as utility ring 162 may include a hole through which threaded coupler and spring adjuster 124 passes when threaded coupler 124 is screwed onto lower tube adapter 106. Utility attachment 162 may include an additional hole that may be provided to hang cane 100 up or attach cane 100 to crutches.

FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 illustrate alternative configurations for handle 136. As illustrated in FIG. 12, handle 136 includes scallops 162 along a lower surface to provide finger positioning for persons using cane 100. FIG. 13 illustrates handle assembly 136 a in the form of a pistol grip with deeper indentations 164 to provide finger positioning. FIG. 14 illustrates handle assembly 136 b with an ergonomic profile that relieves pressure points and is comfortable to hold for small and large hands. The materials can be made from wood, plastic, composite, metal or any other suitable material. The addition of a threaded hole 168 provides a mounting point for a wrist strap.

To adjust the height of cane 100, height adjustment screw 118 may be rotated relative to lower height adjustment nut 114. Rotating screw 118 in one direction causes protrusion 120 and bottom 122 to move axially away from tube 108. Rotating screw 118 in the opposite direction causes protrusion 120 and bottom 122 to move toward tube 108 in the axial direction. Rotation of screw 118 may be accomplished with a user's fingers, without a tool.

In operation, a person holds cane 100 by means of handle 136. When the person places weight on handle assembly 136, rod 146 and washer 148 are driven in the downward direction. Because spring 150 rests against washer 148, spring 150 is compressed. FIGS. 9-11 show handle 136 in the lower position with spring 150 more compressed as compared to FIGS. 1-7. As a result, handle 136 has some give as weight is placed on cane 100. The pivoting of handle 136 through linear movement of rod 146 reduces the rotational movement of a user's wrist, relieving pressure, fatigue and stress on the wrist.

Spring adjustment screw 140 is provided to adjust the tension on spring 150 for a person using cane 100. By screwing screw 140 in one direction, spring bushing 142 is driven toward washer 148, further compressing spring 150 and increasing the stiffness of handle 136. By rotating screw 140 in the opposite direction, spring bushing 142 moves away from washer 148, reducing tension on spring 150 and decreasing the stiffness of handle 136. Rotation of screw 140 may be accomplished with a user's fingers, without a tool. In fact, screw 140 may be completely unscrewed to remove spring 150 and replace it with another spring having a different spring constant. Between changing spring 150 and adjusting the tension on spring 150, forces applied to the cane, primarily related to the weight of the user and the amount of dependency on the cane for support, can be accommodated. Typically a user will apply up to about 30% of the user's body weight on the cane. Those needing to apply the full 30% to the cane will need to use a heavier spring or a spring under greater tension than those not placing the full 30% of body weight on the cane. Those needing the cane primarily to enhance stability will not be able to utilize the handle rotation if the spring is set for the full 30% of body weight, thus necessitating a change in spring or a reduced tension.

Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in these embodiments without materially departing from this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cane comprising: a shaft portion having a first end and a second end; a handle pivotably coupled proximate to the first end of the shaft portion; an elongate member pivotably attached to the handle and extending generally parallel to the shaft portion; and a spring biasing the elongate member toward the handle.
 2. A cane as in claim 1 further comprising a handle link pivotably attached to the handle and pivotably coupled to the first end of the shaft portion.
 3. The cane according to claim 1 wherein: the elongate member includes a rod and a spring stop attached to the rod; and the spring is disposed on the rod and has a first end toward the handle that rests against a side of the spring stop away from the handle.
 4. The cane according to claim 3 further comprising a spring tension adjustment mechanism disposed against a second end of the spring which adjusts the tension on the spring.
 5. The cane according to claim 4 wherein the spring tension adjustment mechanism comprises: a threaded coupler coupled to the shaft portion; and a screw threaded to the threaded coupler and having an end determining a position of the second end of the spring.
 6. The cane according to claim 1 further comprising a height adjustment assembly.
 7. The cane according to claim 6 wherein the height adjustment assembly comprises: a height adjustment screw; and a nut threaded to the height adjustment screw and coupled to the shaft portion.
 8. The cane according to claim 7 further comprising a cane bottom coupled to an end of the height adjustment screw.
 9. The cane according to claim 1 wherein the handle includes finger depressions.
 10. The cane according to claim 1 wherein the handle includes a handle core and grips on opposite sides of the handle core.
 11. The cane according to claim 1 further comprising an attachment member coupled to the shaft portion.
 12. The cane according to claim 11 wherein the attachment member includes a ring. 